The tomato Florentine soup can brought a family together at the dinner table. Something that can be quite rare, especially for the families who have teenagers. So home cooks, do try this recipe.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
1 medium sized yellow onion
1.5 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of light brown sugar
3 cans of diced tomatoes with the size of 14.5 ounce. Drained the tomatoes and reserve the juice
1 tablespoon of minced garlic which comes from 3 cloves
2 tablespoons of flour
2 bay leaves
3 to 5 cups of vegetables and or chicken broth
2 cups of cooked mini penne
10 ounces of chopped baby spinach
1 tablespoon of salt
0.25 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
Note: you can use fresh spinach instead of the frozen ones. Simply squeeze the excess water from the spinach until it is dry. OR you can also use a cup of Freeze Dried Spinach. Many people prefer the later as it can safe so much time. Simply stir it before the soup is ready to be served and this means that cooks no longer needs to be bothered by preparing the frozen spinach. With the Freeze Dried Spinach, the soup can be ready anytime.
Cooking Directions:
1. Use the large dutch oven to heat the butter and olive oil over medium to high heat.
2. Add onions to the butter and olive mixture and then sauté them for about 3 minutes or until you can see that the onions start to turn gold.
3. Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Leave them in the oven until the tomatoes are about to be dry. This process should take about 13 minutes.
4. Add garlic to the mixture in the dutch oven and then stir it. Cook while stirring for about a minute before you stir in the flour. Continue to stir vigorously until the flour is evenly mixed in the mixture while cooking for another minute.
5. Take the reserved tomato juice and pour it to the mixture along with the bay leaves.
6. Add one cup of your chosen broth one at a time while whisking it to get the consistency desired. Only stop whisking when the next cup of broth is being poured.
7. Wait until the soup is boiling before reducing the heat so it is simmering. Cook for another 10 – 15 minutes.
8. Remove the bay leaves, and then put in the spinach, pasta, and balsamic vinegar.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.
